1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a point of attachment of paper and paper products to a flat surface via a tack landing pad, and more particularly, attachment of multiple sheets and slips of paper of varying shapes, sizes, and stock to a movable and removable, small circular tack landing pad exhibiting a pressurized receiving foam. This attachment is achieved via a push pin that affixes papers to a landing pad where papers may be moved, removed, and reconfigured multiple times without damaging walls or metal surfaces. Additionally, the outer surface of the receiving foam may be covered with an adhering fabric material displaying various depictions. Finally, this invention may also be used as a spinning top.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has long been customary to secure attachment of various sized papers to a “bulletin board” or “cork board” comprised of pressed cork referred to as compound agglomerated, or composition, cork. The cork itself is primarily suberin, a waxy, rubbery material that derives its name from its origin—bark tissue of Quercus Suber or cork oak. Once the bark is harvested and processed, finer quality material is used in the production of natural cork products like wine stoppers and lesser quality cork is used for various items including buoys, life preservers, cork flooring, dartboards, safety helmet liners, interiors of golf balls and baseballs, and, as here, for cork boards. During production, the lesser quality cork is ground, treated, and pressed into the desired shape. In addition, certain binders and adhesives are added to the ground cork to give the finished product the desired qualities—softness, resistance to wear, and flexibility. This cork material is a preferred material for the placement and removal of papers via a push pin in that the suberin is elastic and allows for many insertions and removal of a push pin over the life of the cork board.
While the design used in the manufacture of a cork board may vary slightly, the fundamental assemblages have remained relatively consistent over time. The design of a basic cork board or bulletin board is a flat, pressed cork material cut into a rectangular shape that is then framed in wood or metal and placed permanently on a wall. While a rectangular shape is the most conventional, cork may be cut into almost any shape and size and may be framed or unframed. Other materials, such as rubber, may also be used in the construction of a “cork board”, but this constitutes a minority of boards overall. What is more, the board may be covered with material that either enhances the ability of the board to grip inserted tack or in some way improves the overall appearance of the board. Placement of papers on the board is achieved by placing the paper at any one of various sections of the board, piercing the paper with a push pin, and puncturing the cork board. This step can be repeated several times at a variety of locations on the board, but cannot receive and re-receive the pin indefinitely without eventually losing the ability to grip. What is more, the inexpensive construction and ubiquitous availability of cork boards begs inexpensive construction. Inevitably, it is this waning ability to grip and cheap manufacture will eventually result in and necessitate board replacement.
As noted above, subtle variations on the main theme have been developed. The cork may be fortified, the board shapes may differ, and the appearance can be augmented. Some inventors have sought to change the means of attachment (i.e. magnetic tack on a metal board), others have designed improved boards, and even others have developed enhanced tack. Yet, while all improvements have advantages over the basic board construction, none provide the unique advantages of the present invention. The following patents are examples of improvements that answer some, but not all, of the concerns addressed by the current invention:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,494,583, issued to Brooks provides the basic backdrop for bulletin board assemblages—a cushion composition of yielding material such as felt, cork, or sawdust ground and cemented with a rubber or elastic cement attached to a non-warpable backing intended to reversibly couple to and uncouple with a tack. As disclosed, the aforementioned bulletin board suffers from the malady of wear over time as discussed above. Multiple tack insertions, over time, leads to a decreased frictional hold on the tack by the board and thereby leads to loss in overall utility. Moreover, the bulletin board requires permanent attachment to a wall (necessitating nail puncture), allows for no attachment to metal surfaces, and takes up a space far in excess of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,195,985, issued to Fox, displays an improvement upon the '583 patent in that Fox harbors a sheet of non-porous sponge rubber backed by a layer of stiff card board designed to better grip the tack thus affording a better grasp with lesser incidence of displacement. While exhibiting enhanced gripping ability over the Brooks patent, the Fox patent nonetheless shares in the loss of tack gripping with repeated use, the permanence of placement and immobility in the Brooks patent, and the need for attachment to a wall or similar flat surface resulting in wall damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,136, issued to McDonald, proffers a bulletin board displaying a map-designed fabric on its outer surface and an improved tack reception through liquid and pressure activated bonding layers. While addressing the aesthetics of bulletin board displays and, to a certain extent, the gripping ability of the tack receiving surface, the McDonald board is still limited in that it fails to ameliorate loss of frictional hold on a tack and, as in previously discussed inventions, cannot be displayed without wall damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,665, issued to Krawitz, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,486, issued to Kuo both evidence yet another variation on the bulletin board theme by presenting an adhesive coating whereby similar paper products may be adhered to a board via an adhesive surface without the use of a tack. And, while the means for paper attachment has been modified, size, permanence, and wall damage remain a limiting factor in these invention's utility.
Clearly a need remains for a tack landing pad that answers the aforementioned deficiencies. The present invention provides a tack landing pad that is space conscious, moveable, removable, and exhibits greater durability and utility over previous cork board constructions. The present invention, as well, is an advancement in cork board design in that it exhibits a greater frictional hold on inserted tack due to the creation of a compressed foam core with which to grasp the tack shaft. Further, the landing pad can be attached to a metal surface via a magnet. Additionally, the landing pad of the current invention has the capability of displaying on its face any number of unique logos, designs and displays. Finally, the landing pad of the current invention can be easily converted into a functional spinning top with a simple manipulation.